Dana Schwartz

I really enjoyed this duology and honestly, I felt like the series could have easily continued on. I would have enjoyed reading more about Hazel, Jack, Dr. Ferris (swoon), Dr. Beecham, and the Companions to the Death. I loved the historical time period and reading about Hazel's determination to be a doctor in a world where women were not taken seriously enough for the job. The end read a bit slower for me than the first half, and that mixed with the disappointment of not getting another book in the series when I strongly feel that there should have been one (there are just so many doors left open!) is why I ultimately gave this four stars instead of five.… (mer)

Das Cover des Buches finde ich richtig gelungen! Inhaltlich geht es um Hazel, eine junge Frau aus der Oberschicht, die im 19. Jahrhundert in Edinburgh Chirurgin werden möchte. Dabei hilft ihr der Leichenräuber ("Auferstehungsmann") Jack. Das Buch ist ganz süß, eine interessante Medizingeschichte und nette Liebesgeschichte, kombiniert mit Schauer und zum Ende hin ein wenig Mystery. Nicht alles ist ganz in sich logisch, aber zu viel Logik schadet hier auch eher. Den zweiten Teil werde ich wohl nicht mehr lesen.… (mer)

After listening to the first book, I thought I should finish the duology. The novel picks up from where it ends from book one.

Hazel is very much alone as the novel begins. All of the characters in book one have moved on in their lives and become peripheral characters; and, of course, Jack is dead. The catalyst for book two is Hazel's arrest. A patient lies that Hazel broke the law and performed an abortion, leading to the death penalty for Hazel. Believing she is walking to her execution, Hazel finds a very nice carriage waiting for her. Inside waits the King of England's helper, Gasper. (I listened to the novel, so I could easily be misspelling this character's name.). The granddaughter of the King has been ill and she's the hope for the nation. The king, rumor has it, can no longer do much due to his mental decline. The king's son fails to muster any love from the people of England. As no doctor has been able to cure Charlotte, Hazel represents the last ditch effort. Most of the novel takes place in London.

Hazel meets Charlotte, the granddaughter of the king and future Queen as well as several people within the castle and the city of London. The physician to the king accepts and admires Hazel, finding her intellect and company refreshing. Charlotte and her lady in waiting (is that the right term?) take time to grow accustomed to Hazel, but they eventually realize that Hazel means them no harm and hopes to genuinely help cure Charlotte of what ails her. In addition, Hazel meets the people of a secret society.

Spoilers follow, so stop reading if you don't want to know.

I read several reviews on Goodreads, and many readers did not like this novel. Jack reappears much later, and people wanted the love story. I believe the subtitle "a love story," applies to Hazel's love of science. In fact, it's most characters' love: there's the doctor from Scotland who reappears at the end, the immortal and arrogant secret society, the royal physician, and Hazel. I liked this novel in several ways. I liked that it showed how women were treated and perceived at the time. In many ways, things haven't changed regarding healthcare that women cannot receive. Also, many men (and some women) believe that women are still second-rate citizens who exist for beauty and to be on a man's arm. They belong to someone--a parent, a master, or a husband. I liked that Hazel was not a "pushy" person; she genuinely loves science and only wants to help people and humanity. I agree with the critical comments that when Jack appears, the novel makes a turn. It seems that a "message" about women and rights needs to be made and then the author seems to think--yikes--I need to get my happy couple back together--and frantically changes the direction of the story. I honestly liked the physician at the royal court more than Jack. I can't see chemistry between Jack and Hazel. When Hazel ingests the tincture, I was surprised because it went against her character. She would have studied it and found an antidote. Last, the author implies that immortality is a terrible curse. All that's left of Madam Lavoisier (sp?) is a head. In addition, the others have trouble keeping their limbs. Immortality is terrible. Hazel would not do this to herself; she would want to help Jack by making sure these horrible side effects don't happen to him. It doesn't make sense that she would choose immortality. Overall, it wasn't bad. I didn't love this duology, but I was entertained enough to keep listening. On a scale of 1 - 10, I'd give it a 5.… (mer)